Isle of Raasay Distillery

Isle of Raasay Distillery

Co-founders Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day first met in 2013 and formed R&B Distillers with the common goal of building Scotland’s leading artisanal distiller. Focusing on local production, provenance, quality and doing things differently. By 2015, they had identified the Isle of Raasay as providing the ingredients for the perfect dram, and planning permission to begin work revitalising the Isle of Raasay’s nineteenth century Borodale House into a state-of-the-art distillery, visitor centre, and luxury accommodation was granted in 2016. Starting with a blank sheet of paper, they set about designing a distillery to create exceptional whisky that develops elegance, complexity depth early on in the maturation process and a handcrafted Hebridean gin that encapsulates Raasay’s style, character and impressive geological variety.

The Isle of Raasay is a small, rugged island located just a 25 minute ferry ride from the Isle of Skye in the North West of Scotland. 14 miles long and 3 miles wide, the Isle of Raasay is the same size as Manhattan, New York but with a population of 161 people and counting. Home to outstanding natural beauty, the Isle of Raasay offers an abundance of wildlife both in the water and on the land, as well as rare temperate rainforests and an incredibly rich geological variety. There is also one community-owned shop which also acts as the post office, one primary school, and Raasay House hotel just next door to us.

In 2017, we produced the first ever spirit on the Isle of Raasay and in 2020 our Inaugural Release was launched, as well as our unique and tactile bottle design, laden with imprints of real fossils found on Raasay. We released our Isle of Raasay Gin in 2019 just before our Inaugural Release whisky, and it remains a solid customer favourite across the world. In 2021 we released our Isle of Raasay Signature Single Malt, now known at The Draam, which we now ship UK-wide as well as more than 40 international markets.

Borodale House’s six ensuite bedrooms can be booked individually or by groups of up to 12. Some rooms offer views of the Cuillin on Skye, while others overlook the distillery production yard, all decorated in Hebridean charm. Borodale House Restaurant is available both to our whisky hotel guests as well as members of the public visiting the island. The Restaurant is open five days a week during the summer season (Friday - Tuesday), serving delicious seasonal, locally sourced food, and with amazing views over the Sound of Raasay.

Borodale House & Visitor Centre has a fully stocked bar with locally brewed beers, Isle of Raasay whiskies, and unique cocktails designed in-house, and our shop offers our full range of gin, whiskies and merchandise, along with some of our rarest special releases. In our Visitor Centre we offer a variety of distillery tours & tastings, ensuring that guests can enjoy a full day trip or overnight stay to Raasay and are well looked after by our friendly team. We pride ourselves in our warm, highland hospitality, and were thrilled to win ‘Tourism Destination of the Year’ at the 2022 Scottish Whisky Awards, as well as the Tripadvisor ‘Travellers’ Choice’ in 2024 and ‘Craft Producer of the Year’ at the World Whiskies Awards 2025.

Part of the distillery’s ethos is to produce, mature, bottle and market every drop of spirit directly from the island. This seeks to maximise the influence of the island on the spirit, and the distillery on the island. To quote the inimitable Whisky Writer, Dave Broom at our distillery opening: ‘we are not just making alcohol, we are making spirit.’ Since beginning the distillery, we now proudly employ over 40 people between our head office in Edinburgh and onsite on Raasay, creating and nurturing careers of both island natives and those who have moved to the Isle of Raasay, ensuring generations of islanders continue to thrive here.

Address: Borodale House Isle of Raasay, Kyle IV40 8PB

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